Josh Thole began the season with hopes of hitting .300, but when his average dipped to .205 in May, his mind was filled with other things — like staying in the majors.
“I was just trying to stay here,” Thole said. “I came to the park every day not knowing if I’d have a job.”
Beginning to slump again, last night Thole took a positive step.
Mired in an 0-for-9 slide, Thole took extra batting practice yesterday with hitting coach Dave Hudgens and responded by reaching base four times, with a homer, double, single and intentional walk in an 11-7 win over the Braves at Citi Field. It was his sixth three-hit game of the season.
“I just felt comfortable at the plate,” Thole said.
He also threw out Michael Bourn trying to steal in the fourth.
Manager Terry Collins said the Mets never considered sending Thole back to the minors, but he understood his catcher’s mindset.
“When you’re a young player and you get in a funk that’s hard to get out of, you start doubting yourself,” Collins said. “He was getting hammered for his catching and then he wasn’t hitting, so he was in a tough spot.”
Despite last night’s unlikely power surge, Thole said he knows his game is well-suited to his home stadium.
“This is a great ballpark for me to hit in,” said Thole, whose homer was his first of the season at Citi Field. “It’s humongous, and I don’t worry about home runs. There’s so much grass here for me to find.”
But he recognizes the fine line between success and another rut.
“You never know what’s going to happen,” Thole said. “You can’t physically worry about it and confidence has never been an issue at all with me, but things go through your mind.”
Especially when he knew he was under the microscope with general manager Sandy Alderson trying to figure out who should be part of the team’s future.
“You wonder if you’re a .210 hitter in the big leagues,” Thole said. “Being a young guy and not established, you never know. The thought of ‘Where am I going to wind up?’ is always there, but I kept it to myself.”
Now, he’s more concerned about building on last night’s big effort and staying out of another long slump.
“I’ve felt like I haven’t had any rhythm and my timing has been off,” Thole said. “But anytime you’ve overcome hard times before, it makes it easier to believe you can do it again. That’s kind of where I am.”
